Ledaig 10 Year Old

Welcome to a different kind of peated Scotch whisky experience. Ledaig (pronounced le-chaig or le-chick) is not a very well known single malt whisky – even among peated whisky fans. It is produced by Tobermory distillery on the isle of Mull, just north of Islay.

Established in 1798 under the original name Ledaig, Tobermory distillery reserves its original name for just its peated malt whisky line. Their unpeated whiskies are sold under the Tobermory name.

This 10 year old peated whisky is very reasonably priced in most jurisdictions ($70 CAD at the LCBO). It has garnered mixed reviews over the years, and fell below my radar until a bottle appeared at a recent tasting that I was at. I was impressed enough to pick up my own bottle, which I have sampled over many evenings while preparing this review.

The strength of this one is interesting, at 46.3% ABV. That might sound familiar to you – Bunnahabhain on Islay also bottles all their malts at this level. Not surprisingly, both Tobermory and Bunnahabhain are currently owned by liquor conglomerate Distell, which acquired the whole set from Burn Stewart Distillers in 2013.

Let’s see how it compares to other peated whiskies, and the unpeated Tobermory line:

Nose‎: Smoke and peat, reminds me of slightly charred rubber (like a bike tire that has blown out). Just a touch medicinal, with a definite earthy, vegetal characteristic to the peat. Also has some dried tobacco and hay, which is an interesting mix. Otherwise, lightly sweet with vanilla and caramel. Dried fruits, apple and pear mainly. A bit nutty. It is a pleasant sniffer in the moderately peated family. Water brings up the sweetness and dampens the smoke slightly.

Palate: Smokey of course, but less overtly peaty in the mouth. Sweet caramel and vanilla come through the strongest, along with fudge. Malt and hay again. Green grapes join the dried apples. Typical wood spices pick up next, with cinnamon and some pepper. Some tongue tingle, but otherwise a good oily mouthfeel. It’s nice. Water again bring up the sweetness, and lightens the mouthfeel slightly.

Finish: Medium-long. Interestingly, the tingle from the palate lingers a good while. Mild spice and long-lasting sweetness – although not cloying or artificial. A sea saltiness also emerges over time, which I wasn’t getting before – always nice to find something extra on the finish. Water seems to add a touch of bitterness to the finish.

I’m really impressed with this one, especially for the price. It is one of the cheapest age-stated peated bottlings where I live, and one you could easily overlook in your search for the big names. But that would be a mistake – there is more here than I expected. Personally, I would recommend you drink this one neat – water mainly heightens the sweetness, which is prominent enough in my view.

While it is not likely to fully satisfy an Arbeg or Laphroaig enthusiast, the Ledaig 10 year old is a good alternative for peat fans craving something a bit different. I’ve seen one reviewer refer to the peat characteristic here as “muddled”, and there is some truth to that – it is pretty unique in my experience. But I like it, and I’m not typically a big peat head. I’m surprised it doesn’t score higher in my Meta-Critic Database.

One comment

I believe Ledaig 10 is a well put together Islay alternative, bottled at a very respectful ABV. The only problem is that it shares the same shelf space as similarly priced & aged offerings from Laphroaig & Ardbeg. That being the case, it’s still very well worth trying; you might even prefer it.

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